


Patton the Villain Wrangler

by fandomsandanythingelse



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Cats, M/M, Mention of Surgery, Mentions of Cancer, Stalking, Terminal Illnesses, Threats, Torture, more tags with updates, superhero au, villain wrangler au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-29 17:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandanythingelse/pseuds/fandomsandanythingelse
Summary: Patton Sanders is an ordinary guy, doing his best to help grant wishes for children with terminal illnesses at the Grant-A-Wish Foundation. One day, he is presented with a wish from a girl who wants to meet the Vigilante, a known villain. Well, Patton finds him and is swept up into a bunch of chaos that he never even thought possible, meeting heroes like The Prince.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries.
> 
> Hi! A lot of you may have read Patton the Villain Wrangler on Tumblr, and now I'm revising it and moving it to AO3! I hope you enjoy this version as much as or even more than you did with the original! For now, I'm going to post each chapter as I finish editing them, and when I've caught up to where I'm at (as the fic is yet unfinished), I'll post some new chapters to both Tumblr and AO3. But for now, enjoy!

It was late in the evening, and most people working in the Florida Chapter of the Grant-A-Wish Foundation were preparing to go home after a long day. Logan, head of the chapter, was in his office finishing some last-minute paperwork when he heard a soft tapping at his door.

“Come in,” he said distractedly, sifting through papers.

A head poked in. “Thomas,” Logan said, looking up at the volunteer momentarily before turning his attention back to the paperwork in front of him. “Enter. What’s on your mind?

Thomas walking into the office, closing the door behind him, holding a wish star tightly in his hand. Logan gestured for Thomas to take a seat. Thomas obliged, clutching to the paper star like his life depended on it.

“Well,” Logan prompted, his curiosity piqued by Thomas’ nervous behavior.

“Um, well, uh, you see sir, I, uh, well, I just got a wish from a kid. Um- Terminal illness, y’know…” Thomas trailed off, hesitant to say more.

“Yes, Thomas, I am aware that the purpose of this Foundation is to grant wishes to children with terminal illnesses.”

Thomas closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“She- She asked for the Vigilante.”

“Are you sure?” Logan asked quietly after a moment of shocked silence.

Thomas nodded, pushing the paper across the desk. Logan picked it up. On it, in the perfectly clear handwriting of a school-age child:

_ Could you please send the Vigilante to see me before I die? _

_ -Maddie, age 8, Leukemia _

As Logan read the star, Patton, another volunteer, slipped into the room. Neither man heard him enter.

“Thomas,” Logan said without looking up, “you do realize that this wish can’t be granted.” The words were a statement, the tone behind them was tired and saddened.

Thomas nodded sadly, and Patton asked, “What wish can’t be granted?”

Both Logan and Thomas jumped at Patton’s voice, then turned to face him. Logan sighed, knowing that if Patton knew the nature of the wish, he would do everything in his power to find the Vigilante, even if it meant getting himself killed in the process. Which in this situation, it might.

“That is none of your concern,” Logan said sternly. At the same time, Thomas said, “A little girl wants to see the Vigilante before she… you know.”

“What?” Patton asked, slightly angry that a wish so simple couldn’t come true. “Can’t be granted? With all due respect, sir, this is a little girl’s dying wish! It’s not like she asked to be flown to South Africa to live with lions for a week!” 

“I know, Patton, but this is a known criminal, a supervillain we’re talking about. I will not subject a child to a premature death!”

“Her death already is premature,” Patton said softly.

“We could get the Prince?” Thomas suggested after a second of silence.

“She asked for the Vigilante, Thomas,” Patton argued.

“Patton-” Logan began

“I’ll do it. I’ll find the Vigilante, and this little girl- uh, what’s her name?”

“Maddie,” Thomas supplied.

“And Maddie will get to meet her hero!”

“He’s not a hero, Patton,” Logan said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“He is to her.” With that, Patton left the office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton approaches the Vigilante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm just going to post each chapter as it's being edited. Currently working on Chapter 3 revisions, so expect that within the next few days!

Patton poured himself into research. He never was particularly good at it, but he had made a promise. A promise to Logan, to himself, and to that little girl that he would find the Vigilante before she died.

And he was so close. After 3 weeks of looking up dedicated blogs and Vigilante sightings, both confirmed and rumored, he believed that he finally could get him.

Thanks to Logan’s friend Joan in the NSA, Logan being out of the office on a sick day for once in his life, and the fact that Patton could sound exactly like Logan over the phone, Patton was able to figure out that the Vigilante had a bank account, and that there were withdrawals from it at seemingly random days once a month, but Patton was able to find a pattern in it. A call to the diner confirmed that someone fitting the Vigilante’s description did come in, sat at the same booth every time, typically arriving at 7 on those nights, staying for about an hour and a half, then leaving about five minutes after paying. Patton had a plan, and would definitely be waiting for the Vigilante.

* * *

Patton sat outside the diner in his car, debating on whether he should go in before the Vigilante got there, or wait until the supervillain had his food (Patton refused to think of the Vigilante as a “bad guy,” as he believed that even serial killers were good at heart).

He watched as the Vigilante materialized by the side of the building and the air seemed to chill, as though the Vigilante was creating an aura of cold and fear around him. The only skin Patton could see on the Vigilante was the half of his face not covered by his dark mask. He wore a dark gray jumpsuit with a black cape held on by a silver chain and black gloves on his hands, with black boots that went up to his knees.

Patton took a deep breath and got out of his car as the Vigilante walked toward the door. He took a second to adjust the cardigan draped around his shoulders, then followed the Vigilante inside, deciding to sit down shortly after the villain.

* * *

It had been a long day for the Vigilante. First, he’d worked on his scheme to try and lure the so-called super “heroes” of the city into a trap that would make them confess  _ their  _ crimes against humanity to the public. That had been going well, at least until his stupid assistant spilled their coffee all over the plans. And as he was yelling at the assistant, the Prince, the Vigilante’s least favorite of these superheroes, decided that today was a good day for a good, old-fashioned battle, which meant that the Vigilante had to move his lair  _ again _ , a long and boring process. He still had no idea how the fool managed to keep finding his lairs, but he did, making the Vigilante’s life ever more complicated and tedious. He was just glad that today was his diner visit.  _ Maybe I should start changing my pattern,  _ he thought as he sat down.  _ Nah. _

Then a guy who literally looked like the human version of Goofy from the Goofy Movie plopped himself on the opposite side of the booth.

_ I  _ really  _ need to change my pattern,  _ the Vigilante thought as he looked at the strange figure over. He wore a blue polo shirt, with a gray cardigan tied around his shoulders. Everything about him screamed ‘I’m a suburban dad that goes to all my kids’ soccer games while my wife works in a professional setting!’

“Are you the Vigilante?” Goofy asked.

“Who’s asking?”

“My name’s Patton.”

The Vigilante took a deep breath. Even his  _ name  _ sounded like an upper-middle-class dad. Looking him over, the Vigilante noticed that Patton looked vaguely familiar…

“If you work for the Prince,” the Vigilante finally said, “Just give him this message for me.” He leaned across the table toward Patton. Patton for some reason leaned in to hear what the Vigilante had to say, except he didn’t say anything, he only flipped Patton off with both hands.

“I don’t work for the Prince?” Patton said though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

The waitress came to the table, asking for the order. The Vigilante ordered his usual, a cheeseburger and black coffee (yeah it was evening, but the Vigilante didn’t care). Patton ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and a chocolate malt. The guy had some nerve, ordering on a supervillain’s dollar. After she left, the Vigilante turned back to Patton.

“Well, whoever you work for, you need-”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about!” Patton said before the Vigilante could finish his threat. The Vigilante blinked in surprise. “Do you want to work for me?” he asked in shock.

“No,” Patton said, “Though that would be kinda cool. No, I work for the Grant-A-Wish Foundation-”

“The one that grants wishes to dying kids? What’s that got to do with me?”

“Well, there’s a little girl who wants to meet you!” Patton handed a crumpled-looking star to the Vigilante. The waitress brought their meals as he read it.

“Leukemia, huh?”

Patton nodded, his mouth full of cheese. He swallowed, “Yup! I’ll make sure that there aren’t any superheroes or authorities. I mean, I’ll be there, I have to be, that’s just protocol…”

As Patton continued his rambling, the Vigilante looked at the star again and sipped his coffee. Then he stood up and grabbed Patton by his collar, dragging him outside. He left cash on the table as payment.  _ I’m getting rid of my bank account after this,  _ the Vigilante thought.

* * *

The staff of the diner watched as the Vigilante pulled the fool behind him.

“That poor man is never gonna be seen again,” the waitress coolly remarked to the chef after they were out of earshot. The chef shrugged, and they went on with their evening.

* * *

Outside, Patton had stopped rambling and started trembling in fear. Yeah, he had his stance that murderers were good people, but they were still murderers!

The Vigilante let go of Patton, almost throwing him to the ground. Patton stood up and straightened his shirt, hoping that he didn’t look as scared as he felt.

“Look,” the Vigilante said, not making eye contact, “I, uh, didn’t want to say it in there, ‘cause I’ve got a reputation to maintain, but-” he took a deep breath, “I’ll do it. I’ll go see her.”

“Really?” Patton asked, silently grateful that he wasn’t going to die today.

“You don’t need to sound so surprised.”

“Right. Sorry.” Patton had a sheepish smile on his face.

“But no superheroes and no cops, like you said.”

“Oh, of course!”

“When should I go?”

“Uh…” Patton pulled a small black book from his back pocket, his planner. “Well, like I said, I have to be there, but that’s just protocol, you know. So how does…” he leafed through the pages, “Tuesday at 9 a.m. sound?”

“Good, I guess.”

“Alright! St. Agnes Hospital on Tuesday at 9!” Patton said as he scribbled in the little book. “See you then!”

The Vigilante nodded, a small smile on his face, then stepped away from Patton and disappeared into the twilight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vigilante keeps up his end of the deal while Patton accidentally doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA YOU FUDGERS THOUGHT I ABANDONED THIS SUCKER?  
> I did too.  
> Big thanks to wisepuma23 for actually motivating me to work on this for the first time since August. I hope you enjoy the updated version, finally including that first visit with Maddie as well as meeting Maddie's mother for the first time

Patton paced nervously behind the hospital at 8:55 on Tuesday morning. What if the Vigilante decided not to show? Not only would that reflect badly on the Foundation, but it would also severely disappoint the little girl who requested him.

The Vigilante appeared from the shadows, calming Patton's fears.

“You came!” Patton exclaimed upon seeing him.

“Of course I did. You don’t need to sound so surprised.” The Vigilante rolled his eyes, but Patton’s excitement seemed to catch on, easing his anxiousness a little.

“Not surprised, just excited! Come on, let’s go!”

The Vigilante smiled and followed the over-enthusiastic miracle worker into the hospital.

* * *

“Hey Maddie,” Patton said as he entered the room. “I’ve got someone who wants to meet you!”

The Vigilante waited outside the door, biting his thumb. What if she hated him? What if she suddenly decided that she didn’t want to see him? What kid in their right mind would actually want to meet a supervillain?

Patton looked back at the Vigilante and waved him in. The Vigilante put on his best smile and walked into the room. The girl on the bed, well that gave a whole new definition to “little girl.” She was severely thin, the hospital gown dwarfing her small frame. She wore a pink scarf on her head in place of any hair that might have once been there.

“Oh my gosh, it's really you!” she said, sitting up. “They really got you!”

The Vigilante smiled. “Of course. I found out about this, and I wouldn't miss meeting you for the world.”

Patton smiled and quietly walked out of the room. As soon as he was outside, a woman approached him.

“Are you the guy?” she asked.

“The guy?” Patton repeated.

“The guy who fulfills wishes? I just want to know if you actually got a villain to go meet my daughter.”

“Oh, are you Maddie's mom? I'm Patton, and yes, I actually got the Vigilante.”

“You…” She looked into the hospital room. “That's not just some guy in a suit?”

“Well, I'm assuming there's a person in there,” Patton said with a small laugh. “But yes, it's actually the Vigilante in there.”

“And you left him alone in there with her?”

“No worries. He knows that I'm watching him and that there are cameras. If he tries anything, the police will be called at a moment's notice.

“Okay.” The woman calmed down a little.

Patton glanced back at the room. “See? They're coloring!”

* * *

"So what’s your favorite color? Besides black, I mean,” Maddie asked as she colored in a jumbo coloring book with a pink colored pencil.

“I like purple.” The Vigilante was busy coloring a picture of a dragon that she’d given him.

“Isn’t purple a girl color?”

The Vigilante huffed a small laugh. “I don’t believe in girl colors or boy colors.”

“Oh. Okay. Why do you like purple?”

“You’re gonna laugh.”

“Tell me!”

“It goes really well with black.”

Maddie grinned, then picked up a black pencil. “I think pink goes better with black.”

“And why is that?”

“Black’s a dark color and putting pink by it makes it seem… a little more hopeful, I guess.”

The Vigilante looked at the picture of the princess Maddie was coloring. She had a pink dress, and the girl was in the process of giving her black hair. “You’re right.”

The Vigilante went back to coloring his dragon. The two lapsed into silence, the only sounds being the scratching of colored pencils and the beeping of the heart monitor.

“I used to have blonde hair, y'know,” Maddy said.

“Really?”

“Yeah. My mom used to say it was the prettiest hair she'd ever seen, but I don't think so.”

“Why not?”

“There was this girl in my class who had such pretty red hair. And it wasn't dyed like my mom's, it was actually red, like Merida.”

“That's really cool.”

“She used to come visit me, but then one day she said she couldn't anymore because she was moving.”

“Well that sucks.”

“Yeah, kinda.”

~~~

“I wish you the best of luck on your surgery, Timothy!” the Prince said with a grand flourish, about to leave the room of the boy he was visiting.

“It’s not luck I need, mister, it’s the doctor’s skill,” Timothy replied with a sad smile on his face, more to himself than the superhero.

“Well then, I hope it goes well.” The Prince walked out of the room and let his smile drop. As much as he loved visiting these kids, every visit weighed on him. He wished he could do more. He wished that he could save them from the villains inside.

He stopped in his tracks, noticing a familiar, unwelcome black in the hospital room across the hall. What was  _ he  _ doing here? The Vigilante was up to no good, no doubt about that. He started moving toward the room, determined to keep whoever was in that room safe from that evil.

Unfortunately, he was stopped by someone right as he was about to enter the room.

~~~

“Hey, Vigilante?” Maddie asked.

The Vigilante stopped on his way out the door. “Yeah?”

“Could you come visit me again? I understand if you’re too busy being a supervillain and all, but I like talking to you.”

The Vigilante smiled a little. “Sure thing, kid.”

As he walked out of the room, he noticed that Patton was talking with someone in a very familiar red and white jumpsuit. He walked closer and began to overhear their conversation.

“No buts, Prince. Besides, he’s been in there-” he checked his watch, “almost two hours now, and nothing bad has happened.”

“Patton,” the Prince said patronizingly, “There is no way that this will end-”

He was cut off by the Vigilante appearing behind the volunteer.

“I thought you said no superheroes,” the Vigilante said to Patton, a sharp edge to his voice, his glare fixed on the Prince.

“I did!” Patton said, turning toward the supervillain. “I just didn’t realize that he would be here today, right now. I didn’t know, I promise.” He tried his best not to act terrified. The air seemed to crackle with the tension rising between the Prince and the Vigilante. Was it getting darker? Colder?

“Do you want to do this in here, or do you want to take it outside?” the Prince asked his tone venomous.

“Come on, fellas,” Patton said, desperate, “Let’s try to be nice here-”

“I only came to see that little girl, Prince. You should know, you do this stuff all the time.”

“I do, but you must have some ulterior motive for doing this.”

“Look, guys,” Patton tried, “Can’t we-”

“What makes you think that I didn’t come simply out of the kindness of my heart?”

“What heart?”

“Gentlemen,” one nurse interrupted. “This is a hospital. We don’t need anyone hurt more than they already are.”

The tension lifted, the darkness with it. “Sorry, my dear nurse,” the Prince said, regaining his composure. “We will be leaving now.” He turned back to where the Vigilante had been standing, only to see Patton there.

“Where did he go?”

Patton could only shrug, too terrified of the encounter to be able to say anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vigilante kidnaps Patton because of a misunderstanding, Roman worries about his brother, Logan isn't just a manager for people who want to help kids

Patton sat at his desk, head in his hands. He double and triple-checked the calendar both before and after the visit. The Prince was  _ not _ supposed to have been there. He sighed, feeling defeated. He knew that this… disagreement would not reflect well on the Foundation. Would they lose funding? He hoped not. Less funding meant that less kids could have their wishes fulfilled.

A small paper fluttered onto his desk, interrupting his train of thought. He picked it up. It was Maddie’s star. He’d left it with the Vigilante, what was it doing here? He turned it over. Written in scrawled handwriting, but no less clear than the little girl’s on the other side:

You lied to me, Patton.

Before Patton could even think, something cold grabbed his ankle underneath his desk and everything went black.

* * *

The next thing Patton knew was cold. He couldn’t see anything. And then just as suddenly as it happened, he could see. But he wasn’t at the office. Instead, he was somewhere… dark and musty-smelling. There was a light on him, somehow. He was still freezing, and he felt even colder at his wrists and ankles, where he was tied to a metal chair.

A familiar voice came from the shadows. “You lied, Patton.”

“Yeah, I got your note.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he was there. You tricked me.” The Vigilante came out of the shadows.

“No! I- I swear that I didn’t trick you.” Patton said, trembling more out of fear now.

“Then what was he doing there?”

“I don’t- I don’t know!”

“Stop _ lying! _ ”

“I’m not!”

“Fine,” the Vigilante said, coming closer. He held something in his left hand. Oh god,  _ was that a drill?  _ “We’ll have to do this the hard way.”

“There’s a calendar!” Patton shouted, turning his head from the Vigilante.

“What?”

“Th-there’s a calendar. Every volunteer- I’m sorry, could you get that thing away from me?” Patton said, looking at the drill.

The Vigilante put the drill on a table behind him. “Continue.”

“Every volunteer is required to put every scheduled visit and wish on the calendar. It helps keep us from overbooking, and to keep certain superheroes from interacting. They don’t all like each other if you’d believe it!”

“I believe it,” the Vigilante said. “What does this calendar have to do with anything?”   
“Well, when I came up to you on Sat-”

He was cut off by a ringing.

The Vigilante raised an eyebrow.

“It’s my phone,” Patton said sheepishly

The Vigilante pulled the phone from Patton’s breast pocket. “It’s someone named Roman?”

“Oh, that’s my brother! He gets worried.” 

The Vigilante rolled his eyes, answered the call, and put it up to Patton’s ear.

* * *

 

Roman walked into the Grant-A-Wish Foundation building, hoping to surprise his twin brother. He felt sorry about what had happened earlier that morning, and he was hoping to surprise him with a nice lunch.  _ That is, if the Vigilante didn't get to him first _ , Roman thought with both amusement and a little fear.

“Hi Roman!” Thomas greeted him. “Are you here for Patton?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Alright, lemme take you to him!” They walked over to Patton’s desk. He wasn’t there.

“Huh.” Thomas looked around, confused. “Maybe he’s already left for lunch, but I didn’t see him go.”

“You didn’t?” Roman asked, senses now on high alert.

“No. But I could be wrong. I mean, I’ve been told that I’m pretty unobservant.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Thomas, you are probably one of the most perceptive people here. But if you didn’t see him leave…” he trailed off.

“Maybe you could call him.”

Roman nodded and pulled out his phone while Thomas walked back to his own desk.

It started ringing.

“Come on, Pat, pick up. Pick up, pick-”

“Hello?”

“Patton! Hi!”

“What’s up, Ro?”

“I was…” Why was he calling? He didn’t want to sound suspicious. What if the Vigilante had him? What if he was on speaker phone? “Just wondering if you wanted to get together and have dinner tonight?”

“I dunno, Ro. I’m kinda swamped at work right now, so it’s not a good time right now. How about I call you back when I get off?”

Roman looked at the empty desk in fear. He tried to keep his voice calm as he replied, “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Awesome! Talk to you then!”

“Yeah.” He pulled the phone from his ear and hung up. He took a deep breath and started walking toward the door. Thomas stopped him on the way out.

“Hey, did ya find him?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s… He’s at lunch. I’m gonna go meet him.” He walked out of the building.

The Prince landed outside seconds later. He walked in purposefully.

“Wow!” Thomas said, a touch of awe in his voice, “The Prince!”

“Yes, it is I. Now, if you will excuse me, I must speak with your manager.”

“Oh. Do you want me to take you there?”

“No, I can see myself there.”

He began walking purposefully toward the office, momentarily faltering at Patton’s unoccupied desk. He knocked on the door marked “Logan Andrews, Manager.”

“Enter,” came the practical voice from within.

The Prince did just that.

“What are you doing here, Prince?” Logan asked, his voice flat.

“I need your help.”

“You raided the Vigilante’s lair just yesterday.” Logan frowned sarcastically.

“Well then do it for me.”

“No. I don’t get involved in other people’s business.”

“First off, you’re always getting involved in other people’s business, and second, this is your business.”

“Kindly explain?”

“I have reason to believe that one of your volunteers, Patton, has been captured by the Vigilante.”

“And what is your reason for believing this?”

“He’s not at his desk.”

“So? He could have gone out for lunch.”

“I- His brother came up to me, saying that he’d called Patton, and he said he was at work.”

“Well, then I guess this is my business,” Logan said rolling his eyes.

“Okay, how about this: If you don’t do this, then I will tell everyone in this building your secret identity,  _ Brain _ .”

“You know not to call me that here.”

The Prince raised an eyebrow.

Logan sighed. “Fine.”

The Prince smirked, then flew out the open window. Logan readjusted his glasses and tie and walked out the door.

“I’m going out for lunch,” he said to Thomas as he went to walk outside the building, “I’ll be back in about thirty minutes.”

* * *

You- you lied to him?” the Vigilante asked, shocked.

“Well, yeah. I don’t want him to worry.”

“You-” The Vigilante had to pause to take in what he had just heard. “I’m a supervillain. I’ve captured you. You- you are literally the hostage of a  _ wanted criminal  _ and you don’t want your brother to  _ worry about you _ ?”

“He worries too much.”

“He-” the Vigilante threw up his hands and backed away from the volunteer. “ _ What? _ ”

Patton simply shrugged. “I looked up your record, you don’t have any murder charges.”

“Yeah, but I’m wanted for attempted murder. And kidnapping. And assault and battery. And trespassing.”

“Well, hey you’ve kidnapped me, so…”

“What the heck?” The Vigilante gave a confused laugh. “You’re a strange guy, you know that?”

“Yeah, people tell me that all the time.” Patton smiled. The Vigilante smiled back.

“Okay, so explain about the calendar?”

“Oh, yeah,” Patton said. “I checked that there was no one on the calendar before I approached you, then no one when I checked it this morning before the visit, and then even after. He wasn't on the calendar. He wasn't supposed to be there.”

The Vigilante opened his mouth to respond.

“Hate to break this up,” a voice came from behind Patton, “But I’ve got to get him back to work.”

“What are you doing here, Brain?”

The other villain flicked on a light. “I just told you.”

The Vigilante rolled his eyes. “What do you have to do with him? And you're ruining my aesthetic.”

“Would you believe me if I told you it was out of the kindness of my heart?” the Brain asked, ignoring the Vigilante's second statement.

“What heart?”

“Thought I’d give it a shot. I’ve got a personal stake in getting him home safe,” the Brain said, gesturing to Patton.

“And what is that?”   
“If I told you, then I’d have to kill you.”

“Alright then. Take him.” The Vigilante let the shadows binding Patton to the chair go.

The Brain took Patton by the arm and walked to the exit of the lair.

“Hey, Patton,” the Vigilante called after them.

Patton turned to face the supervillain.

“If you ever have any kids ask for me again, I’d totally be willing to visit.”

Patton grinned, and he and the Brain left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton gets a new request, this time for the Alley Cat, so he seeks out the Vigilante once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this chapter is a little shorter but I don't care, it's still good

The next time a kid asked for a supervillain, about two weeks after that first visit, the volunteer who got it knew exactly who to go to.

“Hey Patton,” Rafaela said as she sat on his desk, “I’ve got something for you.”

She handed him a star. Patton took it.

_ Could you please send Alley Cat to see me? I know that they’re a villain, but they identify as nonbinary, like me, and I want to talk to them about their experience to help me to better understand myself. _

_ -Riley, age 15, Thyroid Cancer _

Patton looked at the star and smiled. “I’ll see what I can do!”

Again, Patton poured himself into researching Alley Cat. There wasn’t much on them, unfortunately. At least, not nearly as much as he’d found on the Vigilante. He turned off his computer and sighed. There had to be a way to find them!

A thought occurred to him. He checked his planner. Yes! He checked his watch. 6:45. Perfect!

* * *

It was about 7:15 when Patton got to the diner. He didn’t know how well the Vigilante would respond to him showing up again.  _ But he said he’d be willing to do it,  _ he thought to himself.

_ Yeah, if another kid asked for  _ him, his inner doubt said.

Patton shook his head and walked into the diner. The waitress looked at him in shock for a second, then went back to waiting tables.

The Vigilante sat at his regular booth, sipping his coffee. He had decided against changing his pattern so Patton could find him again. And find him he did. He saw Patton walk in, and he saw the waitress double take when he did. The Vigilante chuckled a little bit, then took a sip of his coffee.

“What’s it this time?” the Vigilante asked as Patton sat down at the booth.

“What do you know about Alley Cat?” Patton asked, pushing the star across the table.

“They’re nonbinary. Hard to find,” the Vigilante said as he picked up the star.

“I know that much.”

The waitress came by and asked if Patton wanted anything. He asked for a grilled cheese sandwich and a chocolate malt, like he had last time. She left.

“What more can you tell me?” Patton asked.

The Vigilante sighed and looked at the man in front of him. “I do happen to know them very well.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you talk them into doing this?”

“Probably not.”

Patton seemed to deflate.

“But I think you might be able to.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You convinced me to go see that girl Maddie against my better judgment. I’m sure you could convince them to see this kid.”

Patton didn’t say anything for a minute, thinking. The waitress brought his meal.

“When can I see them?” he asked as he started eating.

“I’ll see what I can arrange with them, but keep your schedule open. I’ll let you know.”

“Please don’t take me through the shadows again,” Patton said with a shudder. “It’s too cold and scary.”

“Okay. Then I’ll send you a note stating a time and place.”

“Thanks.”

Patton started to get up, but the Vigilante grabbed his hand. Patton stopped.

“Uh.” The Vigilante closed his eyes, before looking up at Patton. “Would- would you like to stay? And just talk?”

Patton just stood for a moment and the Vigilante started doubting himself. What was he thinking? Why on earth would a guy like Patton want to just sit down and talk to a supervillain for fun?

Patton smiled and sat back down. “What do you want to talk about?”

The Vigilante breathed a small sigh of relief. He thought for a second. “Tell me about yourself. Your life, your interests.”

“Okay!” And then Patton launched into his life. They sat there for hours, with Patton gesturing wildly with each new story, and the Vigilante listening intently, the barest hint of a smile playing at his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the first chapter where I gave this AU an official name on Tumblr, and ah, memories. Also, I guess I didn't put a summary on it lol.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm hoping to get some more up soon and more frequently in the coming days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vigilante gets the Alley Cat to meet with Patton

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Kitty, please!”

“No. I’m not gonna meet with some random guy you found on the street.”

“First of all, he found me, and second, he’s got some important stuff to say! Just- just give him ten minutes. That’s all I ask.”

The Alley Cat raised their eyebrow.

“Just hear him out. For me?” The Vigilante put on his best puppy dog face.

The Alley Cat sighed in defeat. “Fine. But just ten minutes, and I’m only doing this because I like you.”

The Vigilante grinned. “Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

The small supervillain just rolled their eyes. “When does he want to meet?”

“Uh…” The Vigilante hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. He thought that they would suggest a time. “How does, uh, Tuesday at nine sound to you?” he asked slowly.

“Fine. That’s great.”

“Where do you want to meet?” the Vigilante asked before they could.

“I don’t know. How about your lair?”   
“No. He doesn’t want to shadow travel, and that’s the only way he’s getting in there.”

“Fine. How about here?”

The Vigilante pondered this for a moment, looking around the well-lit room. “This should work fine.”

“Alright, Tuesday at nine. Ten minutes.”

“Thanks Kitty!”

“And don’t call me Kitty.”

“You know you like it.”

The Alley Cat rolled their eyes. “Shut up and get out of my house.”

The Vigilante grinned once again and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

 

Patton was unlocking his car when the Vigilante materialized in front of him.

“I thought you said that you were gonna leave a note?” Patton asked, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, but I thought it would be more polite to tell you in person.”

“So when and where?”

“Tuesday at 9, the Alley Cat’s lair.”

Patton pulled out his planner, marking the date. “I’ll need directions.”

The Vigilante just stared. He didn’t know how to get there any other way than through the shadows.

“Do you at least have an address?”

“Oh, yeah!” The Vigilante told him the address, with an admonishment not to tell anyone. Patton wrote it down in his planner.

“Okay, thanks!”

“Um… I, uh, I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be there. You know, just in case…”

“Just in case something goes wrong?” Patton asked, putting the little book in his back pocket.

The Vigilante nodded, trying not to let worry show on his face. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, he cared for the volunteer.

“Relax! I’m sure that they’ll be totally willing!”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But, just in case.”

Patton smiled. “Just in case.”

* * *

 

Patton stood outside the building that matched the address that the Vigilante had given him. It didn’t look too intimidating, just like a regular house. He took a deep breath then rang the doorbell.

The Alley Cat was a lot smaller than Patton thought they would be. And gosh darn it, they were so adorable!

“Who are you?” they asked. Patton tried hard not to squeal and

“I’m Patton Sanders. I think the Vigilante told you we were meeting today?”

“Oh, right.” The Alley Cat opened the door further to let Patton in. “Come on in.”

Patton walked in and saw nothing but cats. There were cats all over the house. Patton tried very hard to contain his excitement, glad he'd taken his allergy pills today. The Vigilante was sitting on the couch, an orange tabby in his lap.

“Move,” the Alley Cat said to a fat calico cat sitting on a chair as they shoved it off. “Uh, sit down, if you can find a place.”

Patton maneuvered around, almost tripping over a small black cat. “So is this why they call you the Alley Cat?”

“Sort of, I guess. I don’t know why, but it’s like I’m a literal cat magnet. Might as well use them to take over the world.”

Patton chuckled as he found an empty seat. He started to sit down, but then a loud yowl came from under him. He stood up to see a cat the exact same shade of brown as the couch sprint away from the scene. He cautiously sat back down again, making sure no other cats decided to move beneath him.

“What do you want,” Alley Cat asked.

“Well, I’m with the Grant-A-Wish Foundation, and there’s a kid who wants to meet you!”

“Why?”

Patton took out his planner and took out Riley's star. He stood up and handed it to them as he put the black book in his back pocket.

“Someone wants to hear from me? Why not the Fox? They’re nonbinary too.”

“They asked for you, Kitty,” the Vigilante put in. The Alley Cat glared at him and Patton tried to suppress his delight. Even their glares were adorable!

The Alley Cat looked at Patton after taking a deep breath, trying to calm themselves. It would be bad form to attack the Vigilante in front of a civilian. “So let’s say that I do this. Hypothetically.”

Patton nodded, hope evident on his face.

“Where would I meet them?”

“Well, according to their file, they’re healthy enough to be living at home, so you, hypothetically, could visit them in their house, or you could meet them in a public park. I would have to be there, just for protocol, but-”

“So even if I met them in a public setting, you would have to be there?”

“Yeah. But like I just said, it’s just protocol. I was there when the Vigilante visited Maddie.”

“And that turned out great, didn’t it?” the Alley Cat said sarcastically, throwing a teasing look toward the other villain.

“That was not my fault,” the Vigilante said.

“Oh?” they asked, raising an eyebrow, “I could feel my ears pop from here, and that hospital is at least ten miles away.”

“That was him, not me!”

“What was?” Patton asked, confused.

“Right,” the Vigilante said, rolling his eyes, “I forgot how vague Princey is about his powers. So basically, he claims he can control the weather, but really, he can only control the barometric pressure and temperature. Oh, and the wind. That’s how he flies.”

“Well don’t those three things make up the weather?”

“Whatever.”

“Well,” Alley Cat interrupted, “Whatever he can do, that’s not what we’re here to talk about.”

“Right. So what do you say, Ki- Alley Cat?” Patton asked, catching himself from calling them Kitty. They glared at him but didn’t say anything about it.

“Fine. But I’d rather meet them in a public place. Don’t want people getting the wrong idea.”

Patton nodded. “That’s totally understandable. How about the mall courtyard?”

“That’ll do. When?”

Patton pulled the little black book from his back pocket. “How does the tenth work for you? At eleven?”

“Perfect. Now get out of my house.”

“Uh okay.” Patton had to carefully move the dark brown Scottish Fold that had decided to lay on his lap during the conversation. “Have a nice day!” he said as he walked out.

The Vigilante looked at his watch, then looked up at the Alley Cat smirking. “Eleven minutes.”

“Get out means you too, Lanny.”

The Vigilante glared at the Alley Cat. And suddenly, an open bag of catnip appeared in the nonbinary villain’s lap, causing all of the cats in the vicinity to flock toward them. The Vigilante laughed maniacally as he disappeared into the shadows, the Alley Cat’s curses filling his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always get questions about this and yes, the Alley Cat is largely based on Talyn, though not entirely.  
> Also, this was one of my favorite chapters to write bc cats. It's funny because I wrote this one a month before the Moving On arc and finding out about Patton's allergies, so I didn't add those in the original chapter. But I hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley meets with the Alley Cat, during which, Patton gets an unexpected (though not unwelcome) visitor.

Patton and Riley sat at a table in the mall courtyard, waiting for the Alley Cat to appear. And appear they did, with about five cats trailing behind them.

“Hey,” they said as they approached. The cats walked around Patton and Riley. “Uh, I hope you’re not allergic to cats.”

Riley smiled and shook their head while Patton simply shrugged. 

“It’s an honor to meet you, Alley Cat,” Riley said.

“Yeah, I guess. Nice to meet you, too.”

The Alley Cat sat down, and then the visit began to go kind of like an interview, with Riley asking questions, and Alley Cat answering. Patton sat there, enjoying the serenity of the moment. As the two got into a more familiar conversation, Patton looked around the courtyard and saw the Vigilante.

“I'll be right back,” Patton said, standing up.

The Alley Cat gave a brief nod and waved him off.

Patton walked over to the Vigilante.

“What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I’m, uh, changing my pattern.” The Vigilante rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, at the diner? I’m gonna start going once a week, y’know, instead of once a month? I mean, it’ll be a similar pattern, but y’know, once a week.”

Patton nodded. “Okay. Any particular reason?”

_ Because I want to see you more. _

“Uh, just in case there’s, uh, a kid who wants to see a villain, but they, uh, don’t have a lot of time left? Like, I don’t want to be the reason a kid doesn’t get their wish.”

Patton nodded again. “Okay.”

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“I just wanted to start as soon as I could. Does that not work for you?” the Vigilante rushed. “Because-”

“No! I was just caught off guard. Uh-” Patton fumbled for his planner, “Yeah, I’m totally free tomorrow night! I’ll see you then!”

“Good, yeah. Good.” The Vigilante took a deep breath and chuckled a little. “Yeah. Tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow.”

The Vigilante nodded, a small smile on his face. He disappeared into the shadows, and Patton walked back over to the table.

* * *

 

“Is that the Vigilante?” Riley asked, petting one of the cats that had come with the Alley Cat.

“Yup,” the supervillain replied.

“He looks awkward.”

Alley Cat chuckled. “Yup.”

“Are they dating?”

“Not yet.”

Riley laughed a little. They watched the awkward conversation, at least until Patton turned around and started walking back.

“So, when did you realize you were nonbinary?” Riley hurriedly asked to make it seem like the two hadn’t been watching. The Alley Cat started going off on some long-winded answer, though they glanced at Patton as he sat back down, noticing the light blush on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short chapter, but don't worry, the next one makes up for it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vigilante and Patton keep meeting. And then the Vigilante reveals a secret to Patton

The next day, Patton poked his head into Logan’s office. “Hey, Logan?”

“Yes, Patton?”

“I’m gonna take off a little early tonight. I’ve got a meeting with the Vigilante.”

Logan looked up from his paperwork. “Do you have a request for a villain?”

“Yes?”

“If I find out you’re lying…”

“Don’t you worry! I’ll work later tomorrow night.”

“Okay.”

Patton hurried to his car, getting to the diner at the same time as the Vigilante. They sat down, and the waitress took their order.

“So…” the Vigilante began after a moment of silence, “Anybody request a villain?”

“Not today. But we can expect more soon, after Riley tells all their friends.”

“Um… Okay.”

They sat in silence for a minute, both of them trying to think of something to say.

“So…” the Vigilante said again.

“So…” Patton replied.

They sat in silence for another minute. The waitress brought their meals.

“I’m sorry. Asking you here was probably a mistake,” The Vigilante said.

“No! It… I just- Uh… I’m not sure what to talk about.”

“Me neither.”

“Ooh! Tell me about some of your evil schemes?”

“My… what?”

“You know, your plots to take over the world or-”

“You… You want to know about my projects?”

“Is that not something you want to talk about? Because we can-”

“No, it’s just that no one’s ever… asked me about my projects.”

“Oh. Well, is it okay that I ask?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“So?”

“Right. Duh. Sorry.” The Vigilante started talking about some of his older projects. They again sat there for hours, the Vigilante talking about his projects with excitement in his eye, Patton listening, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

Patton and the Vigilante began to develop a familiar rhythm. More kids began asking for “bad guys”, and the Vigilante would help the volunteer find those villains that they asked about. Patton sat in on every visit, making sure that each went smoothly, and no harm came to the children. Patton left work early on the days he went to meet the Vigilante, and they talked about how the visits went, upcoming visits, new wishes to be fulfilled. And when they were done with all that, they told each other about their days and weeks and lives.

It was one of these days where they scheduled to meet when Logan stopped Patton as he was about to leave.

“Patton, I cannot have you leaving early anymore.”

“Why not? I’m going to meet the Vigilante. We-”

“Do you have any villain requests?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Have you had any this week?”

“No, but-”

“Have you completed your paperwork?”

“No, but I-”

“Then you are to stay here and finish.”

“Ah, come on, Logan! I’ll stay later tomorrow!”

“Patton, paperwork is half of what we do here. You are to stay until it’s done.”

“I only have 30 minutes until I’m off, and a lot of paperwork. You’ll have to pay me for overtime.”

“I am aware of this.”

“Logan-”

“If you wish to meet with the Vigilante, I suggest you hurry.”

Patton sighed, then sat at his desk and began working on the tall stack of paperwork he had to complete. Logan walked back into his office.

* * *

 The Vigilante sat in the diner, waiting for Patton. He wanted to show Patton something to let him know that he trusted him. That the Vigilante could be trusted.

He checked his watch. 7:45. Where was Patton? He always showed up within five minutes of 7:30. Well, he always _had_ . Where was he? _Maybe you were annoying him. Maybe he just was entertaining you all those weeks and now he’s finally decided that he’s had enough._

The Vigilante leaned forward, clasping his hands around the back of his head. The waitress brought his usual burger and coffee.

“He stand you up tonight?”

“No. He’s just… delayed.”

 _That must be it!_ he thought, _He told me that he’s been getting off early to talk with me, so maybe he’s just staying late, maybe his boss made him stay later._

And that thought process gave him hope. Until 8:15 rolled around.

 _If he were staying until he got off, he would be here by now,_ he thought as he took a small sip from his now cold coffee. _Where is he?_

* * *

It was 9:00 when Patton finally finished the last page. Everyone else had gone home a long time ago. He grabbed the stack of paperwork and walked into Logan’s office.

“Done!” he exclaimed as he placed the pile onto the desk.

“Excellent. You may go.”

Patton nodded and said his thanks before running out of the building to his car. He got in and started driving as fast as he reasonably could toward the diner, checking the clock as often as he could.

_Please still be there, please still be there, please still be there._

* * *

9:30. The Vigilante had given up hope that Patton would show. He stood up, placed his cash on the table and began to walk out. Patton came running in, breathing heavily.

“Patton?” the Vigilante asked in shock.

“Hey!” Patton took a deep breath, bending over with his hands on his knees. “I… Sorry I’m… late… Boss… made me… paperwork.”

“You okay?”

Patton nodded. “Yeah. Just gotta,” he waved his hand around, “catch my breath.”

The Vigilante placed a hand on Patton's back, steadying him.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” Patton stood up, shaking his head slightly. “Boy am I out of shape!”

The Vigilante chuckled a little bit. “You came.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t miss our meetings for the world!”

“Can I- Can we go outside? I want to show you something.”

“Sure thing!”

The villain took the volunteer by the hand and led him out into the parking lot.

“What do you want to show me?”

The Vigilante took a deep breath. Shadows surrounded him, his mask and cape melting into them until standing before Patton was a… guy. A regular guy, wearing a leather jacket, a purple t-shirt and jeans. His bangs were in front of his face, as if he were still trying to hide it. He looked… vulnerable.

“My name’s Virgil,” he said quietly.

Patton gave Virgil a small smile. “Nice to meet you, Virgil.”

Virgil smiled a little, then realized, “Wait, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Patton shrugged and said, “I can always make grilled cheese at home.”

“Okay. Well, drive safe.”

“You… travel safe, I guess.”

“Nothing can harm me in the shadows,” Virgil said as he became them.

Patton smiled a little at the cheesy line as he made his way back to his car and started driving home. And then he started thinking.

 _He trusts me. The Vigilante trusts_ me.

The Vigilante had trusted Patton with Virgil. He didn’t know what Patton would do. He didn’t know if Patton would take this information directly to the police, or a superhero, or all the news media outlets. _But he trusted that I wouldn’t._

Patton silently vowed right then and there that he would never willfully break that trust.

* * *

Virgil materialized in his lair, wearing sweats and a hoodie instead of the leather jacket and jeans he’d revealed himself in.

 _What was I thinking?_ he thought, leaning against a table. _A sketch of my face is going to be all over the news tomorrow._

He looked up, and his gaze landed on the chair that he kept his hostages in. The chair that he had kept Patton in all those weeks ago.

_“You- you lied to him?”_

_“Well, yeah. I don’t want him to worry.”_

_“You- I’m a supervillain. I’ve captured you. You- you are literally the hostage of a_ wanted criminal _and you don’t want your brother to worry about you?”_

Virgil smiled at the memory. He knew that Patton wouldn’t tell.

Virgil lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of Patton. Thinking of the way his glasses perfectly framed his kind, blue eyes. He thought of the way that he constantly adjusted the cardigan around his shoulders, that he was always doing something with his hands and-

 _Stop_ . What was he thinking? He had no shot with the guy. Virgil was a supervillain, Patton was… well, he was way out of Virgil’s league. Probably straight, too. Virgil sighed and turned over, trying to get the miracle worker out of his head. It didn’t work. He could still see Patton’s bright grin in his mind’s eye, always present when they were together. Maybe Patton did like him in that way? _Probably not._

* * *

 Patton got home and started making himself a grilled cheese sandwich. He started thinking about the person behind the mask. He remembered those eyes that looked like pools of chocolate in the lamplight, the dark circles underneath that made it look like he hadn’t slept in days. He remembered how the Vig- how Virgil had nervously kept his hands shoved in his pockets, and his bangs in front of his face. _He was really cute_ , Patton realized as he flipped the sandwich over in the pan. _But he probably doesn’t think of me like that._


End file.
